Ärtsoppa (Swedish Yellow Pea Soup with Pork)
Thick, hearty Swedish yellow pea soup simmered with pork and onion and seasoned with marjoram and thyme, served with mustard. The traditional Thursday supper. Serves 6.
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For centuries Swedes have eaten yellow pea soup on Thursdays, followed by thin pancakes with jam. The tradition is said to date from the days when Friday was a fast day, so Thursday supper had to be filling.
Whole dried yellow peas are soaked overnight and simmered with pork until they fall apart into a thick, golden soup. Each bowl gets a spoonful of mustard stirred in at the table.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried whole yellow peas
- 1 1/2 pounds lightly salted or fresh pork shoulder, or a smoked ham hock
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt, to taste
- Swedish mustard or Dijon mustard, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the peas. Rinse the peas, cover with plenty of cold water and soak overnight. Drain.
- Simmer. Put the peas and water in a large pot and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam and loose skins that rise to the top. Add the pork and onion, cover partly and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the peas are very soft and the pork is tender.
- Season. Lift out the pork. Stir the marjoram and thyme into the soup and season with salt; mash some of the peas against the side of the pot to thicken it.
- Serve. Cut the pork into pieces and return it to the soup, or serve it on the side. Serve with mustard.
Tips
- Split yellow peas need no soaking and cook in about an hour, though the soup will be smoother.
- If using a smoked ham hock, taste before adding any salt.
Questions about this recipe
- Why do Swedes eat pea soup on Thursdays?
- Traditionally Friday was a fast day, so a filling Thursday supper of pea soup with pork, followed by pancakes, made sense. The custom lives on in schools and restaurants.
- What is served with Swedish pea soup?
- Mustard at the table, and thin Swedish pancakes with jam for dessert.
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